Tuesday 11 January 2011

OK so after the New Year's Eve feast....

So...the goan curry was a bit of a let down.  I say a bit of a let down - it should have been marvellous - Chicken Xacuti aka Spicy Chicken in thick sauce - has mine and husband's names all over it....

God it was dreadful.

It was hot, and that's about all I can say.  Despite the myriad of spices in the recipe (which I stuck to faithfully), it was hot and that was all.  Sour hot, not even that nice hot with a great depth of flavour.  Nothing.

So I was banned from cooking ANYTHING FROM THAT BOOK for a while.

But here we are, 11 days later, and I'm having another go.  Admittedly, I've kind of made some changes to that great grilled lamb chops recipe (doing the first stage of the marinade and leaving out all the yoghurt which didn't bbq so well), and I'm doing it with chicken but hey ho, I'm back on the book.

Strangely, for a man who doesn't like curried veg, the okra got the thumbs up from my husband - caveated with "but don't go cooking it every time we have a curry"...

So here's the okra recipe

Bhindi Pyaz (Crispy Okra with Onions)
500g okra
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 onions (chopped)
4-6 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
salt

Soak the okra in a bowl of lightly salted water for about 5 minutes

Now trim away the stem just above the ridge, then slice the okra into miniature wheels.

Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions and fry for about 5 minutes or until browned.  Add the chillies and fry for about 2 minutes, or until they are pale green.  Add the cumin seeds and fry for about 30 seconds, then add the okra and season with salt.  Stir well and cook, stirring frequently to prevent the okrea from sticking to the pan, for about 8 minutes or until done.

So tonight's dish will be as follows:

4 medium sized chicken breasts, cubed
2 teaspoons garlic paste
2 teaspoons ginger paste
1 large teaspoon chilli paste
1 tablespoon hot curry powder (I make my own containing powdered dried chillies, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, ground coriander, ground cardamom)
A good slug of oil
A good squeeze of lemon juice (about 2 lemons worth)

Mix all ingredients together and then add the chicken cubes.  Coat in the marinade and leave for a minimum of 3 hours.
thread onto bamboo skewers and then cook under a very hot grill, turning to ensure even cooking.

More tomorrow!  We'll have been in Joburg for a year and will be bbqing so lots to add.

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